Sounds like a wonderful place! It's about 2 hours from me. Wish they had a website too! Just read this article on them and would love to visit someday... http://swmichigan.secondwavemedia.com/features/rosesgrow0809.aspx?utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Roses+are+blooming+big+business+at+Walnut+Hill+Farm&utm_content=%7BEmail_Address%7D&utm_campaign=Crowdsourcing+explodes+and+roses+in+bloom (sorry, not sure how to make a compressed link)

Bestlawn - Pure coincidence!! It was a shared office suite with 3 attorneys, 3 secretaries and a receptionist. One day, an attorney from a local city came for a meeting with my attorney. While there, she saw "her" and asked my attorney if "she" was working there. Seems the visiting attorney had been with "her" prior law firm when "she" used the firm's credit card(s). I can't remember if that's why she was let go or if she was let go and THEN took the cards. Its been a long time. In any event, my attorney told "her" attorney and his accountant started digging and found the $20k or so shortfall, at which time they stopped looking. This poor guy was struggling to put 2 kids through college and "she" was robbing him blind. However, he had given her carte blanche with the checkbook and SIGNING CHECKS and she kept all financial records, which was just asking for trouble. It was a nasty time; we were in a more or less open situation with no locks on the internal doors, only on the 2 doors to the main office area. We were afraid she might retaliate so had to hide all our discs and secure the computers until we could get the locks changed. You might check with your state labor commission, or some such agency, to see just what would be an appropriate response to inquiries so as not to set yourself up for a lawsuit :-/ She sounds like she might not hesitate to make trouble for you.

Judy, I'm the luckiest of us, I know that. Even weeding and hoeing is better with The Princess and Bruvver to keep me entertained. As for the produce, I'm about 90 miles south of Traverse City and the things that are doing well are things that can tolerate cold weather, like beans, cabbage, pumpkins. I've gotten half a dozen cucumbers when usually by this time I'd have made quarts of Chase's dill pickles. The corn is just starting to make ears, it's weeks late and I don't have a ripe tomato yet. The eggplant have given up and the peppers are so small that if they actually bear fruit I think it'll knock them over. So, that beautiful garden you see is selective, LOL. I didn't show you the parts that aren't doing so well! Sol, that boy is happy nearly all the time. He can be doing the naughtiest thing possible but he'll have that big smile on his face. The only time he's cranky is if he's tired or hungry. We're supposed to hit 90 on Sunday, first time this year. Stacy, I'll send a bit of that your way! Annie

In Wisconsin, Madison has the Olbrich Gardens, Janesville has their Rotary Gardens and Milwaukee has Boerner Botanical Gardens. Green Bay has a botanical garden I hear is good, but I haven't been to it. Will you be coming up through Iowa or Illinois? tj